The editors' favorite innovations to help you do your job better — or at least have fun trying

If you're living the Palm-centric life, you'll want to take a good look at Seiko Instrument's newest accoutre-ment. Just buckle your Palm organizer into the Smartpad, a zippered portfolio, and anything you write or draw on the ordinary 5-inch-by-8-inch note- pad on the right side of the organizer can be captured on the Palm, on the left side. Imagine sketching a map to your hotel and attaching it to the director of sales' entry in the Palm address book.

The high-tech magic is in the Smartpad pen. A transmitter in the pen communicates with the Smartpad, sending your ink notes to the Palm organizer via its infrared port. Smartly, the top of the pen is designed as a stylus, so you just flip it around to work directly on the Palm.

The captured notes or drawings can be saved to a PC as .bmp or .gif files, or you can send them out in e-mail via the Palm.

Smartpad, which retails for $199, is compatible with Palm III series or later, but will not work with a Palm or Palm Pro that has been upgraded to Palm III. For more information about Smartpad, contact Seiko in Torrence, Calif., at (800) 688-0817, or visit www.seikosmart.com.